The present invention relates to portable worklights and cases for storing and carrying the worklights when not in use.
Portable worklights have proved useful in a variety of settings such as construction sites, industrial plants, automotive and auto body repair shops, artist and photographic studios, and around the home for do-it-yourself projects. These lights provide a high level of illumination over an extended area. The worklights are either set on a low, typically built-in supporting stand that can be placed in a stable position on the ground or other work surface or they are secured to an upright stand such as a tripod for greater height off the work surface. Examples of such worklights are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,507 of Atkins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,278 of Grossman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,989 of Leen; and U.S. Pat. No. D381,114 of Xu.
In some applications, such as construction projects, worklights are used so commonly that they are considered by many to be indispensable accessories forming a part of the basic assemblage of tools and equipment taken to the construction site as a matter of course. Worklights tend to be bulky, particularly the so-called dual head worklights that have two separate worklight heads mounted on a common base. In the past the worklights have typically been carried to and from the job site as is. The stand-alone units are simply carried by the handle on the worklight, and the tripod-mounted units are either carried as a whole with the worklight mounted on the tripod or the worklight is removed from the tripod and the worklight and tripod are carried separately. In transporting the worklights, for example in the back of a pickup truck, and in storing the worklights, the units are exposed to unwanted wear and tear and possible damage because they have no protection. To avoid these disadvantages, at least one known worklight comes in a case that requires the worklight to be disassembled to be packed in the case. In particular, the individual worklight heads and carrying handle are removed from their stand and the protruding protective grills on the worklights are removed before the unit can be fit in the case. While this may make for a more compact case, it is inconvenient to disassemble the worklight every time it is desired to store the unit and then have to reassemble it before use.